1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910818159903321

Titolo

The khat controversy : stimulating the debate on drugs / / David Anderson, Susan Beckerleg, Degol Hailu and Axel Klein

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, N.Y. : , : Berg, , 2007

ISBN

1-00-308703-5

1-000-19000-5

1-000-18337-8

1-003-08703-5

1-4742-1571-8

1-282-47366-2

9786612473661

1-84788-335-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (264 p.)

Collana

Cultures of consumption series, , 1744-5876

Disciplina

362.29/9

Soggetti

Khat

Drug traffic

Drug control

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

"First published 2007 by Berg Publishers."

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-242) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction: going global--the Khat controversy -- Devil's cud or farmers' boon? -- Trading in the dollar leaf -- Consuming habits in the Red Sea Littoral -- Made in Meru: a market history -- Kenya: culture, controversy and cooperation -- On the Khat frontier: Uganda -- The ambivalent amphetamine -- Transnational debates -- The politics of Khat-control lobbying for identity and recognition -- Conclusion: mapping the future of Khat.

Sommario/riassunto

Khat. A harmless natural stimulant or a lethal epidemic sweeping through the international drugs trade? Khat is a natural substance that, in the Middle East, is as ubiquitous as coffee is in the West. It is hugely popular in some African and Arab populations. But critics contend that it is a seriously addictive stimulant that damages the cardiovascular system. In a groundbreaking study, the authors go behind the veil of



the drug, questioning its availability and its effect on its Red Sea producers. Interwoven with case studies from Djibouti to Rome, The Khat Controversy goes deeper to explore contemporary issues relating to globalization, ethnicity and culture. With its popularity escalating in London, Rome, Toronto and Copenhagen, khat is fast becoming a problem in the West. The first study of this contested drug, The Khat Controversy provides a concise introduction to the issues surrounding khat usage and suggests how policymakers should address them. The Khat Controversy: Stimulating the Debate on Drugs has received an honorable mention for the African Studies Association's 2008 Melville J. Herskovits Award.